This journal was so much fun to design and even more fun to make! I absolutely love vintage themed journals and this vintage Christmas themed journal is just my cup of tea!
Working with all the vintage Christmas themed graphics was a real joy ( I'm surprised I didn't add any floral elements to this journal as I LOVE vintage floral) I couldn't wait to print it out and get started on making it.
I spent 2 days working on this journal and love the end result.
This post is a walk through of the making of this beautiful journal.
Pages are printed out
First things first, print out pages and cut to size. Then fold all pages in half.
Ready for cutting
Because the printed pages are blank on the other side I use decorative papers (Christmas themed for this journal) to glue on the blank side. After I've folded all the printed pages I then cut my decorative papers to size and fold them in half. They are now ready to be glued to the printed pages
Decorative papers ready for gluing
Selected decorative page ready to glue on blank side of printed page
Oopsy daisy! had a wee mishap with one of the printed pages...the color ink was running low... No problem, I fixed this page with a cover up. This is what I love about making junk journals, little mishaps like this can be easily fixed
All fixed up
Because I have sooo many scrap bits of paper, I like to get creative on the blank sides of the printed pages too
Getting creative
Now that the pages are all done, it's time to start the cover. I always make my covers a little bigger than the size of the printed cover page. This means my printed cover page does not fit MY cover properly so I need to get creative again to fill in the gaps of my cover page.
To make my covers I use thick cardboard and use a template to cut it out. I use this same template for most of the journals I make as I tend to design 5x7" journals
Preparing the bits needed to make the cover
Journal cover is glued into place. Now to 'fill in the gaps'
Washi tape is a fav in my craft room!
Now that the cover has been made it's time to stitch the pages in. This can be very tricky if the holes are not lined up properly. To make sure I get this correct I use my trusty cover template which has the holes marked out on the spine.
I line these holes up on the spine of my journal cover and use a sharp poking tool to pierce the holes through the thick cardboard of the spine. I then do the same to the pages. It's ready to be stitched now.
Once I've finished stitching in the pages, I always use PVA glue over both the back of the spine and front of the spine (middle of journal) just for added strength & support. These pages are now CEMENTED in place!
Ready for stitching
Stitching in the pages can be tricky!
Almost done. Now to tie off the thread
PVA glue has been added to give extra strength and support to the stitched in pages
Pages are all stitched in
Now the stitching has been done, its back to the cover page to cover up the stitching....
The cover up...
Now to get to the super fun part....making up the ephemera!!!
I love making up all the little envelopes and journal cards and being creative and making little note books & pockets. Fun fun fun!!!
Journal card pocket
Mini Envelopes
Love this journal and want to make one of your own? Find the printable 'Once Upon A Christmas' Junk Journal Kit HERE
I was given a box of goodies some time ago by a very kind lady whom used to do decoupage but no longer doe's it.
This box was a real treasure trove of old pictures cut from magazines & calendars. In among the collection I found these beautiful bird images that are just too good not to share.
I hope you enjoy them :)
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It's been quite some time now since I last did some sewing. The machine has been looking at me for many months now as it has sat on the kitchen table waiting for me to rev it up!
Over the weekend the sewing bug hit me again and I can tell you the sewing machine has had a good work out.
A trip to a local store had me even more inspired when I saw some beautiful fabrics
I forgot how much I enjoy sewing! Normally when I do sewing its for my Vintage Barbies
However, I thought I'd give something else a go this time round. Christmas stockings and owl doorstops have been my projects over the weekend and the end results are very satisfactory.
